Michigan reaches its first Sweet 16 by beating Tennessee
It’s been a season of firsts for Michigan, and now the Wolverines can add a trip to the Sweet 16 to that list.
Leigha Brown scored 23 points and Naz Hillmon added 19 to lead No. 6 seed Michigan (16-5) to its first regional semifinals appearance with a 70-55 win over third-seeded Tennessee (178) in the River Walk Region at Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio.
“It’s amazing, we’ve been having a lot of firsts on our team,” Hillmon said.
Hillmon, the Big Ten Player of the Year, also had 15 rebounds.
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT 83, SYRACUSE 47 >> Aaliyah Edwards scored 19 points to lead No. 1 seed UConn (26-1) past No. 8 Syracuse (15-8).
IOWA 86, RENTUCRY 72 >> Iowa freshman Caitlin Clark is stepping up on the big stage of the women’s NCAA tournament, and really stood out in a small gym to send the Hawkeyes to the Sweet 16.
Clark finished with 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting and six 3-pointers after outscoring Kentucky on her own in the first half, and the fifth-seeded Hawkeyes advanced with a victory in the second-round game.
The fifth-seeded Hawkeyes (20-9) had what coach Lisa Bluder called a perfect start, scoring the game’s first 11 points— with all five starters getting a basket, Clark’s being a 3-pointer. Two-time AP All-American guard Rhyne Howard finished with 28 points to lead the Wildcats (18-9).
BAYLOR 90, VIRGINIA TECH 48>> Moon Ursin and DiJonai Carrington both had 21 points as reigning women’s national champion Baylor (27-2) advanced to its 12th consecutive NCAA Sweet 16, beating Virginia Tech (15-10).
Mercado Region
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 79, SOUTH FLORIDA 67 >> Jakia Brown-Turner scored 19 points and top-seeded North Carolina State shrugged off a challenge from No. 8 South Florida with a big third quarter at the Alamodome, advancing to the Sweet 16.
Jada Boyd added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolfpack (22-2), who reached their third straight regional semifinal and 14th overall. They will face fourth-seeded Indiana or 12th-seeded Belmont.
USF (19-4) led by a point early in the third quarter before N.C. State used two big runs to pull away and take a 12-point lead into the fourth.
Elena Tsineke had 22 points to lead the Bulls.
Hemisfair Region
SOUTH CAROLINA 59, OREGON STATE 42 >> Aliyah Boston scored 19 points and top seed South Carolina dominated after a close first quarter to beat eighthseeded Oregon State, advancing to its seventh straight Sweet 16.
The Gamecocks (24-4) led by a point after one quarter but had built a 12-point lead by halftime and were up 53-29 by the start of the fourth.
South Carolina, which won a national title in 2017, improved to 8-1 in the second round under coach Dawn Staley and will appear in the regional semifinals for the 11th time overall.
Taylor Jones scored 13 points for Oregon State (12-8).
GEORGIA TECH 73, WEST VIRGINIA 56 >> Lotta-Maj Lahtinen scored 22 points, Lorela Cubaj had 21 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 5 seed Georgia Tech used a big third quarter to beat No. 4 West Virginia.
Lahtinen was 9 of 16 from the field and struck for 17 points in the first half to dig the Yellow Jackets out of an early hole.
Georgia Tech (17-8) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history and first since 2012.